Why did so many wealthy people vote against their economic interests last year?
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  Why did so many wealthy people vote against their economic interests last year?
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Author Topic: Why did so many wealthy people vote against their economic interests last year?  (Read 1489 times)
America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS
Solid4096
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« on: April 03, 2019, 08:23:19 PM »

Just looking at Johnson County, Kansas for example. Its a very wealthy County that Democrats last won on the presidential level in 1916. Yet Kevin Yoder lost it in the House race. Kris Kobach lost it in the Gubernatorial race. Almost all the downballot statewide Republicans lost it as well. The Republican Party is quite clearly the party that favors wealthy people, so it hardly makes sense how they did so poorly in places like this. Not that I am complaining (wealthy people who vote against their own economic interests are only hurting themselves, and they are helping other people) but it does seem rather strange.
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SnowLabrador
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« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2019, 08:31:37 PM »

Because there comes a point where other issues outweigh paying an extra 1% in taxes every paycheck.
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TML
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« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2019, 09:34:37 PM »

Sam Brownback's tax experiment in the state made the Republican brand poisonous for many voters.
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Indy Texas
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« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2019, 09:54:09 PM »

The Republican Party's economic/tax policies have reached a point where the number of people who actually benefit from them is incredibly small.

Unless you are in the top 1% of incomes (greater than $434,000 in 2018) and you make most of that income from dividends and capital gains as a business owner, you don't benefit from GOP economic policies.

Johnson County's median household income is $73,733. Such a household would indisputably be better off under Democratic policies.

But either way, nobody votes purely out of economic interests.
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Rookie Yinzer
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« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2019, 10:01:40 PM »

Because there comes a point where other issues outweigh paying an extra 1% in taxes every paycheck.
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smoltchanov
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« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2019, 11:21:43 PM »

Because there comes a point where other issues outweigh paying an extra 1% in taxes every paycheck.

For example - social issues. For many well-to-do people liberal position of Democratic party on choice or LGBT rights outweighs "favorable" position of Republicans on economy and taxes. BTW - for many  other (blue collar workers, and so on) it's frequently vice versa..
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Young Conservative
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« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2019, 11:23:11 PM »

The Republican Party's economic/tax policies have reached a point where the number of people who actually benefit from them is incredibly small.

Unless you are in the top 1% of incomes (greater than $434,000 in 2018) and you make most of that income from dividends and capital gains as a business owner, you don't benefit from GOP economic policies.

Johnson County's median household income is $73,733. Such a household would indisputably be better off under Democratic policies.

But either way, nobody votes purely out of economic interests.

This is just objectively false. 88% of Americans got a tax cut per the WSJ.
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Indy Texas
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« Reply #7 on: April 06, 2019, 10:07:02 AM »

The Republican Party's economic/tax policies have reached a point where the number of people who actually benefit from them is incredibly small.

Unless you are in the top 1% of incomes (greater than $434,000 in 2018) and you make most of that income from dividends and capital gains as a business owner, you don't benefit from GOP economic policies.

Johnson County's median household income is $73,733. Such a household would indisputably be better off under Democratic policies.

But either way, nobody votes purely out of economic interests.

This is just objectively false. 88% of Americans got a tax cut per the WSJ.

Having my federal income taxes reduced by a small amount is outweighed by the other things the GOP does/wants to do that either don't help me or actively harm me as a consumer and an employee.
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Wisconsin SC Race 2019
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« Reply #8 on: April 06, 2019, 10:41:12 AM »

They voted exactly their economic interests. The Dems are no longer for the working class.
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Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers
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« Reply #9 on: April 06, 2019, 07:18:27 PM »

70% of voters believe the country is on Wrong Track. Putin and Trump alliance isnt a good thing for the Wrld economy
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Senator Incitatus
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« Reply #10 on: April 06, 2019, 10:10:55 PM »

What's the Matter with Kansas City?
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YE
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« Reply #11 on: April 06, 2019, 10:13:00 PM »

Same reason why many poor people did.
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Smash255
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« Reply #12 on: April 06, 2019, 11:04:23 PM »

Just looking at Johnson County, Kansas for example. Its a very wealthy County that Democrats last won on the presidential level in 1916. Yet Kevin Yoder lost it in the House race. Kris Kobach lost it in the Gubernatorial race. Almost all the downballot statewide Republicans lost it as well. The Republican Party is quite clearly the party that favors wealthy people, so it hardly makes sense how they did so poorly in places like this. Not that I am complaining (wealthy people who vote against their own economic interests are only hurting themselves, and they are helping other people) but it does seem rather strange.

Economics are not the only thing people vote on.  To top that off, in the case of Johnson County, you tend to have a higher than average college graduate rate, which has gone hard against the GOP in recent years.  The economic policies of Brownback administration caused severe budget issues in the state.  Nor to mention if you are talking about taxes, the difference in taxes for the middle and upper-middle class was only marginal.  Those at the very top received the vast majority of the benefit.  Even in areas such as Johnson County, that will only be a very small portion of the population, that is receiving the majority of the cuts.
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pppolitics
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« Reply #13 on: April 08, 2019, 01:39:14 PM »

...because there are things wealthy people actually want other than money (i.e. good schools that their kids can go to, roads that aren't full of potholes)
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Del Tachi
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« Reply #14 on: April 08, 2019, 01:44:37 PM »

Because the Democrats' economic platform is actually quite accommodating to upper-middle class, suburban types.
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RINO Tom
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« Reply #15 on: April 08, 2019, 02:22:12 PM »

It's also worth noting that there are a lot of non-ideological voters out there who vote on vague ideas like "a check on Trump."  There were many areas that voted quite Republican in 2004 but elected Democrats in 2006, right?  That is one reason, anyway, in addition to other things posted.  It's also important to remember that really wealthy people are still the minority in wealthy areas (and can therefore still vote Republican but be outvoted).
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LabourJersey
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« Reply #16 on: April 09, 2019, 01:53:02 PM »

The Republican Party's economic/tax policies have reached a point where the number of people who actually benefit from them is incredibly small.

Unless you are in the top 1% of incomes (greater than $434,000 in 2018) and you make most of that income from dividends and capital gains as a business owner, you don't benefit from GOP economic policies.

Johnson County's median household income is $73,733. Such a household would indisputably be better off under Democratic policies.

But either way, nobody votes purely out of economic interests.

Pretty much this. Also given SALT deductions getting capped many middle-class people in high tax states are paying more than they have before in taxes. There's a reason why wealthy districts in New Jersey and New York voted for Democratic candidates
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Some of My Best Friends Are Gay
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« Reply #17 on: April 09, 2019, 01:55:22 PM »


Because of cultural issues and racial resentment?
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Adam Griffin
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« Reply #18 on: April 09, 2019, 03:32:41 PM »

Wealthy people in general and by definition do well under the status quo economic and social order; Trump and the GOP undermining institutions to the extent that they are now is a direct threat to their prosperity and standing. It's basically arguable now that everybody, including the wealthiest, would benefit from the Democratic Party's influence over government in the long run.
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cvparty
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« Reply #19 on: April 09, 2019, 07:05:20 PM »

because they don’t just care about money. also they don’t necessarily want to keep all their money from others
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Mr. Smith
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« Reply #20 on: April 10, 2019, 10:16:43 AM »


Because of cultural issues and racial resentment?

Replace racial resentment with Yankee-esque paternalism (or WMB) and the answer then is...yes.
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Stranger in a strange land
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« Reply #21 on: April 10, 2019, 10:57:10 AM »

The premise of this question is flawed. You aren't "voting against your economic interests" by voting Democratic unless you work in extractive industries or are extremely wealthy.
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